A popular conventional method for moving fluids from one point to another through a conduit is through use of a pump; however, fluids may be transferred through conduits using other systems. For instance, fluids may be transferred through conduits using ambient air or other gases to push dense liquids through a conduit. One such system using ambient air to displace dense liquids through conduits is often referred to as an airlift system. In an airlift system, air is pumped into conduits filled with a dense liquid at certain locations in a system to force the dense fluids to move through the conduit to a desired endpoint. Many airlift systems involve distributing air to various parts of the systems at different times in varying amounts. Thus, a need exists for a device capable of reliably distributing air to multiple locations within an airlift system at different times.
Multiple port valves have been formed from a variety of configurations and used in many different applications for a variety of purposes. For instance, multiple port valves have included designs having a plurality of inlets coupled to a single outlet. On the other hand, some multiple port valves receive fluids from a single supply source and distribute the fluids to a plurality of different sources. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,345,645 to Kenna et al. discloses a multiple port valve for distributing water from a recirculating pump of a swimming pool to selected outlets for operating banks of cleaning heads in swimming pools. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,451 to Foster discloses a multiple port valve for distributing water to a plurality of output ports in an aquarium. Furthermore, multiple port valves have been used in various industries, such as the petroleum industry, the healthcare industry, the residential pool industry, the water supply industry and various other industries. However, even with the application of multiple port valves across such a diverse collection of industries, there still exists a need for a reliable multiple port valve capable of distributing fluids, such as gases, to one of a plurality of destinations without leakage to other outlet ports.